Gotham 4×13 Review: “A Dark Knight: A Beautiful Darkness”

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Poison Ivy was having the best day ever on Gotham. If we were ranking the villains who had the most successful adventure, she would be at the top. As discussed in the previous review, this new version of Poison Ivy has been doing so much better than her predecessors. She isn’t playing around and letting the others control her; Ivy knows what she wants and she’s going to get it. In fact, we learned exactly what Ivy wanted, what she got, and what she plans to do with it. We’re only two episodes into Poison Ivy’s third run and already she’s setting herself up for a war, especially with all the death she’s causing.

Ivy didn’t need to kill the doctor from Wayne Industries. She already got the information she needed about “Project M” and the family was under her control with the alluring scent; anything else after that point was simply petty and thoughtless. If there was one thing Poison Ivy did badly this episode, it was that she ruined her friendship with Selena. Catwoman isn’t the murdering type. She’s a thief, a fighter and a survivor, but she doesn’t kill. When Ivy turned their break-in into murder, she crossed a line and showed Selena she couldn’t fully depend on her friend yet again. And if Selena finds out Ivy almost killed Bruce, that could be the nail in the coffin. However, that’s not to say Catwoman and Poison Ivy won’t team up again; they do have a way of finding a path back to each other.

When Ivy’s secret plan was revealed – using Lucius as a shield and Bruce as leverage – the reaction was one of awe. She had masterfully set up the board so all of her chess pieces were in place just in case. Using Bruce’s poisoning as leverage against James Gordon was too much of a coincidence, and it couldn’t have been premeditated. However, the fact that she was able to think on her feet, barter with Gordon and use the field in front of her to get what she wanted was genius. She had a dying weapon in her hands and properly used it.

David Giesbrecht/FOX

Now that we know Ivy plans to use the Lazarus water to grow the infectious plants, who is she going to attack first? There isn’t anyone she truly hates at the moment. And before she became this third version, she was a tertiary villain who was somewhat on good terms with everyone. The bigger play has to be Gotham City as whole. She’s probably going to infect the city, spread her flowers and take it over for Mother Nature. Poison Ivy also did want the plants to win – this would fit her M.O.

Speaking of Bruce, it’s great to have the well-adjusted version of the character back. Don’t get me wrong, drunken party boy Bruce was an interesting time and the personality shift served its purpose for adding layers to the character. The nobler Bruce, on the other hand, is simply someone who appreciates the right things and helps people. His reversal required a near-death experience to him get back on track and show him what he needed in his life. Seeing him reach out to Alfred for help melted the heart.

When it came to the near-death experience, his vision of the bats and caped man may be Bruce’s “origin trigger” for becoming Batman? In the original story, Bruce Wayne as fell down a hole as a child into a cavern with bats after his parents’ funeral. The shock of being attacked by them haunted him (since that was his fear) and he used that iconography to become Batman and fight crime in Gotham City. When that scene appeared in his death vision, the similarities were so exact, and the connection seemed strong. That moment could be what triggers Bruce into working with Alfred to become the Dark Knight. Let’s hope so, since we’re currently on the fourth season of Gotham and we would all love to see the Dark Knight eventually.

Barbara Nitke/FOX

Jerome came back, and just like his past appearances, he owned every scene! Since the last time we saw him, he had taken control of Arkham Asylum. Every single patient is under his thumb and he rules the place like it’s his kingdom; Jerome is having a great day. Seeing him and Penguin interact was fun to watch because these two didn’t spend a lot of time together before their incarceration. Oswald is a tad too serious while Jerome is nothing of the sort – they’re complete opposites! Even though Jerome threatened to kill Oswald, the odds of him actually doing it were pretty slim. Jerome loves anyone who causes chaos and Penguin is cut from the same cloth. We need more scenes with them together!

Just like James, we should all be worried about Sophia. She knows exactly how to hurt him if he gets in the way. There was no chance it was a coincidence that Sophia met with both Barbara and Lee during James’ search of Poison Ivy. Sophia is a cold and calculated person, and she’s connecting with all of the women who are in Jim’s life for a future move. Eventually Sophia is going to make a move on Gotham against James and she’s going to go for the jugular. Let’s brace ourselves.

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Gotham 4x13: A Dark Knight: A Beautiful Darkness

Justin is a fun-loving twenty-something living in downtown Toronto, Canada. He’s an avid TV buff, movie fan and gamer. In addition to writing for The Young Folks, he has contributed to Entertainment Weekly's The Community, Virgin, TV Fanatic, and his blog, City Boy Geekiness.